Career paths within research and teaching at Lund University

Content on this page: 

• Possible career paths based on Lund University’s Appointment Rules
• The first stage: Third-cycle aducation
• The second stage: Postdoc/career development
• The third stage: Senior lecturer. Established as an independent and highly competent researcher and member of teaching staff
• The fourth stage: Established leading position as a professor
• Assessment for the title of associate professor
• Combined employment

Experience of a doctoral studentship (completed third-cycle education), or for example staying on in academia for a while as a postdoc, are valuable in many organisations in both the private and public sectors. Similarly, experience from industry or the public sector is valuable in academia.

Good, clear career paths are contingent upon there being a need within the organisation and funding in the relevant organisation. Opportunities for building an academic career are diverse. It may be straightforward, but is often somewhat more complex.

Even within Lund University, career paths vary between the different faculties. That is why there are several possible career paths, not just one. It is unusual to build a career within one university, but more common to take career steps at different higher education institutions or workplaces.

Possible career paths based on Lund University’s Appointment Rules

The illustration above shows various possible career paths based on Lund University’s Appointment Rules. Other universities may not necessarily have the same teaching positions or have opened up the possibility of promotion from lecturer to professor, for example. 

The first stage: Third-cycle education

Lund University strives to offer four-year doctoral studentships (employment is sometimes up to five years when significant departmental duties are involved, such as teaching). The majority of doctoral students then leave academia to take up employment in the private or public sector.

If you are employed elsewhere, you may still complete third-cycle education through an agreement between Lund University and your employer. You then become what is known as an externally employed doctoral student. As an externally employed doctoral student, you are not employed by Lund University, but are instead subject to your employer’s terms of employment.

If you have a third-cycle education from a higher education institution outside of Sweden that is equivalent to doctoral studies, you are well-placed to be able to continue to develop your career at Lund University. International experience is often valued.

Read more about doctoral studentships at Lund University (LINK)

The second stage: Postdoc/career development

There are two different formal career development positions at Lund University. A two to three-year-long postdoc position, and employment lasting four to six years as an associate senior lecturer. Recruitment to both positions is through open competition.

The purpose of the career development positions is to gain experience of both teaching and research.
If you are employed as a postdoctoral fellow (postdoc) within Sweden, you are to primarily focus on development within research, according to the central collective agreement. However, developing teaching skills can be equally important for a subsequent career, particularly within academia.

In the development stage, there may often be one or more periods of postdoc employment. They may be at a university or universities within Sweden and/or abroad. This is to equip postdocs to deal with competition in a future academic career. Networking through work at other higher education institutions and the experience gained are valuable in a continuing academic career. Other ways of developing one’s career might be through applying for a (fixed-term) position as a researcher/equivalent, working in industry, volunteering, or applying for employment as a lecturer to gain further qualifications within education. This period might be experienced by some as insecure and uncertain, yet enriching. The length of the career development stage varies according to the research subject and level of competition for positions. The period is sometimes called “postdoc limbo.”

As an associate senior lecturer, meanwhile, you have a fixed-term career development position with the right to be assessed for permanent employment as a senior lecturer. This career path is sometimes referred to as the tenure track. It is common, particularly within the subject areas of medicine, engineering and science, for employment as an associate senior lecturer to be preceded by one or several postdoc positions beyond the higher education institution.

Read more about positions as senior lecturer and postdoc at Lund University (LINK)

The third stage: Senior lecturer. Established as an independent and highly competent researcher and member of teaching staff

As a senior lecturer at Lund University, there are opportunities to spend time on research, teaching and external engagement. A senior lecturer will normally be permanently employed and often takes great responsibility for intertwining teaching and research. Vacancies for senior lecturer positions are announced in open competition, but may also be offered to an associate senior lecturer who has applied for promotion (known as the tenure track) and deemed to have gained teaching expertise as well as research/artistic expertise.

Established researchers are also present within this stage. A researcher is often funded to a great extent by external funding, which means a less secure employment and a more limited opportunity for developing expertise in teaching. Employment as a researcher is not a teaching position at Lund University, which means that researchers may not assess students and cannot apply for promotion to professor. The position of professor may always be applied for in open competition. Owing to this and other considerations, Lund University has adopted the aim of reducing the number of researcher positions. It is important to be aware of the differences between the various positions and the more conventional career paths.

Read more about employment as a senior lecturer at Lund University (LINK)

The fourth stage: Established leading position as a professor

The final stage is employment as a professor. Upon reaching this stage, you are a research leader or leading specialist in your subject, both in terms of research and teaching.

At Lund University, the position of professor is the pre-eminent teaching position and during employment there are many opportunities to undertake both research and teaching. Employment as a professor is a permanent position The position of professor is permanent and vacancies are normally announced in open competition. Open competition ensures quality, mobility, diversity and transparency. At Lund University, a senior lecturer can also hold employment as a professor in those cases where the faculty deems there to be strategic requirements for a promotion and the qualification requirements for employment as a professor have been met. At certain faculties, the opportunities for promotion are very limited.

Read more about employment as a professor at Lund University (LINK)

Further information

Assessment for the title of associate professor

Associate professor is not a position, but rather an academic title denoting a specific level of expertise.

You can apply for such a title at the various faculties and it means that you are deemed to have expertise that exceeds that of a senior lecturer, but is below that of a professorial position. To be appointed principal supervisor for a doctoral student, for example, requires the qualifications of an associate professor. Sometimes, the qualifications of an associate professor may be a requirement in order to be promoted to, or obtain employment as, a senior lecturer.

Combined employment

An employee may have what is known as combined employment, whereby the position of professor or senior lecturer is combined with employment at a healthcare unit used for medical training and research. Combined appointments can only be held by employees who meet the specific qualification requirements for both positions.